samuel eussell



(Nqmodel'j s RUSSELL ELECTRIC CARTRIDGE.

No. 319,628. Patented June 9, 1885.

Fig.1.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR Gwwfi w ri By his AHW A i and an out r m tallic tube, w, thcsn athbo rams ii's'rrnn PATENT, FHCE.

wntsornio e RTnioeE.

SPECIEICJATIQ forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,628, dated June 9, 1885.

Application filed November 29, 1884. (No model To a]! whom it may concern:

Iicit known that I, Saucer. ltossmm, a, citizen of" the United States, residing in the city of Brooklyn. in the county of Kings-and State of Neugyork, have invented certain Improvements in Electric Cartridges and Primers for l iring by an Electric Spark, of which the following a specification.

in my Patent No. 307,071, dated October 21, .ISSt, I have described an electric cartridge adapted to fire the powder by the incandescing of a platinum wire upon the passage through it of an electric current.

My present invention aims to provide a can fridge which shall fire the powder by the passage of an electric spark between two terminals ofelecf'ric conductors. It has been before proposed to tire cartridges by a spark or static discharge; but, so far as lamaware, this method has notprored yn-actically successful, except when the spark has been employed to ignite a fulminatc which in turn ignites the powder. My invention aims to produce a simple, cheap, and effective cartridge or can tridgcprimcr, which shall insure the direct ignil ion of the powder-by the electric spark.

l igure of theaccompanying drawings is a. longifmlinal mid section of my im n'oved cartridge. ilfig. 2 is a side elevation of the primer rrnnovcd. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal mid-section of the primer. Fig. 41s an end view thereof. Fig. 5 is a. longitudinal mid section of an empfyshell, iilustrating a modified cmistruction; and Fig. i; is a view corshell is made with an inturned neck, 6, which tightly tits the portione, holding the primer firmly in posit-iouin the cartridge-shell. The primer projects forward into the shell a (Tistanee equal to its length, which may be greater or less accordingas it is desired to ignite the front or the rear of the charge of powder or some intermediate point in the charge.

The primer is applied to the cartridge sliell by being forced in from the rear, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The shell is then charged, in performing which operation aportion of powder is necessarily and unavoidably filled into the recess f, where it occupies the annular space between the end ofl he pin and the end of the tube 0. The cartridge, when charged, is placed in the. electric gun, which should be of such construction that the opposite terminals of an electric circuit shall be brought in contact with the base a and pin 0, respectively. The circuit on the gnnshouid include a battery and an induction-coil capable of giving a sufficient spark, or the gun may be provided with or connectedwithany other means by which an electric spark may be produced on the pulling ofthe trigger. \Vhen the cartridge is thus in the gun, the only break in the circuit (except the break to be closed on the pulling of the trigger) is that between the pin 0 and the tube a, whiclrarc insulated from each other by the sheath (I, except at their projecting front ends, where they are separated only by the intervening powder, which is a partial conductor of electricity;

responding to Fig. i, and showinga modified consl ruction of the primer. I

Let A. designate the cartridge-shell of any suitable construction and having a metallic llth'f, a, and l; the clcctric'spark primer. {)LHIUWH drlatclu-d in Figs. Zand 3.) in the preferred construction (shown in Figs. i to 4) this prim r is made detachable, and. consists. ofatrntial pith f,:LitllHlliLllllStlliltl1|Q Sill2ti.l'\,.

in;- militzilfl' than the pin and tube, as shown. .-o thatv an annular recess. 1, is framed in the ion! end of the prim r. The pin an tube ar nsulated from ";l(ll oth r by the sheath, unit approach loser together at ilnir front ends than elsewhere. Th rear cud, f, 'f'the primer is made s uucwhaf larger-than its front hence, when the trigger is pulled, the current passes between the front end of the pin 0 and tube a in the form of a spark through the powder. thereby igniting the latter and discharging the cartridge. lhe spark will pass from the pin to whicluu'cr side of the tube is nearest Er affords the least resistance in its intervening medium. 'lhe end of the tube thus forms an annular electric terminal, which, concentrically surrounding the cud of the pin, affords a choice ofdiver cul. paths to the spark. it is not, however, essential that the end of the pin shall be arranged con and rically within the tube, as it would be equally operative if arranged ecccutricalfv; but Lhc'coimenfric arrangement is preferable, because of the ad vzuuage-siatezl and of itsgreatcr case of man a end, and. the mehdlic base a. of the cartridge o well known manner, being made very slightly The arrangement and position of the recess f insures its .beeom'ing filled with ,powderiin charging the shell. In, some electric cartridges for ignition by sparks heretofore in- 5 vented the terminals have been so arranged, that it would be difficult for the powder to enter the space between them,.to which factl attrib ute'in great measure the failure or only partial success of such cartridges. ',In my cartridge IO the recess f is open toward the t'ront, whereas.'

' in the prior cartridges referred to the corre-- sponding recess or space opens toward the rear or side, necessitating .that the powder shall. execute a lateral or reverse movement in orderl to enter them.

jln this application for patent'I make no claim to the scparatelclectric primerB, except as constructed with special reference to-firing .by the electric spar-has =I have-claimed the same, broadly, in my application forpatent on improvements 'in primersfor'electric cartridges, executed this day, and designed-to be filed simultaneously herewith. (Application No. 149,157, filed N member-29, 1884;)

Fig. 5 showsa modified construction of ear tridge, wherein the primer and cartridge-shell are inseparable. The tube 0 of the primer and the inturned neck I) of the shell arc the same. The neck I) is span in from the base aim the conical, and'the sheath d, inclosing the pin a,

is forced into it from the rear. This construction is readily applicable only tothose-cartridgcs wherein the chargeis to bc' ignited near the base, as it'is "impracticable to spin a long neck b from thebase a. v I

Fig. 6 shows a primer which includesall the features of my invention ex pt the recess in the front. In this construction the spark passes across thefront end of the sheath hr ughthelpowder which istilled. close around thepilimer. a

I claim as my invention 1. An electric cartridge for firing by means of an electric spark provided with an annular 1 electric terminal arranged in the powder-- space and with the opposite terminal arranged within said annular terminal and substantially equidistant from all sides thereof, whereby the spark passing between said terminals has a choice of radial paths, as set forth.

2. An electric cartridge for firing by means of an electric spark provided with a central electric terminal projecting towardthe front, a recess or powder-space, f, surrounding said terminal, and the opposite terminal at the mar gin of said recess, combined substantially as set forth. r

3. A spark-primer for an electric cartridge, consisting ,of'a conductingrpin, c, a tubular insulating-sheath, d, inclosiug said pin, and a. metal tube, 0, inclosing said sheath and projecting beyond the front end thereof, thereby forming a recess, f, substantially as set forth.

4. A cartridgeshell, A, formed with a metallic base, a, and neck b, combined with a sparlcprimer, 13, consisting of a tube, 0, pin 0, and interposed insulating-sheath d, schstantially as set forth.

In witness whereot'I have hereunto signed my name. in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

S AMUEL R USSHL l1 Witnesses:

ARTHUR. C. FRASER, HENRY CONNET'L. 

